I bought a half a peck of peaches a few days ago at Hy-Vee. After consulting Google, I learned half a peck is 1/8 of a bushel. I had about 15 peaches in my little bag, which was enough to make a pie or two.

Tonight Chris came home from work and said he would take the kids to swimming lessons. As soon as they left, I made a double pie crust and put it in the fridge to chill. Then I peeled seven peaches and added the sugar and all of the yumminess that goes into the filling.

When the kids got home, I threw the pie together (and got irritated when Isaac turned off the lights as I was transferring a pie crust to a pie pan! -- that called for a do over!), and I baked it as we were finishing dinner.

It was cooling on the counter when we left to do some errands tonight. On the way home, Henry said, "Here's what I have learned . . . it takes a long time to make a pie, but it doesn't take very long for a pie to be disappeared."

I've been making pies for almost a year now, but all of them have been fruit pies: apple, peach, blueberry, and strawberry rhubarb. If pumpkin is considered a fruit, then add that one to the list. Today -- out of the blue -- I decided I wanted to make a different pie. My mom, who is the world's best pie baker, gave me a recipe a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd go for it. After all, it was on our family's "Summer 2013" must-do list.

I had never before blind baked a pie crust, so I didn't know what I was doing. After I slid the homemade crust into the oven, it began to shrink. One whole side caved in. I had never seen anything like it before!

I yelled to anyone who would listen, "This is the first and last banana cream pie I'm ever going to make! If anyone wants any sort of cream pie, you'll have to make it yourself!" Then I think steam rolled out of my ears.

I called my friend Carol, who began baking pies about the same time I did. I called because she almost always can talk for a few minutes, she will tell me straight up what I need to do, and she's hilarious. Plus, she just made a few chocolate cream pies and almond cream pies within the last few weeks. She's very generous and thin -- she gives most of her pies to friends.

She asked, "Do you have any pie weights?"

I didn't know what she was talking about. The only pie weight I have is what has settled around my middle within the last year after I've been eating the apple, peach, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, and pumpkin pies.

I googled "pie weights" and found all sorts of interesting things. Pie weights are used when the pie crust is being baked (without any pie filling) to avoid the pie crust from shrinking and puffing out. Some bakers put a layer of aluminum foil on their pie crusts and fill the pie tin with rice or beans to weigh down the crust. Some bakers have used pennies! (I just can't do that because of the germs. Are washed pennies really clean?) Some bakers use heavy chains. I went to our pantry and found rice, but I only had about 1/4 cup. That wasn't going to cut it.

Chris went to the basement and said, "Maybe you can uses these nails?"

Noah said, "I didn't know pies could lift weights."

My second pie crust was in the fridge because Isaac kept turning off the oven, which surprisingly was good timing when Carol called. She said she was on her way to our house. When I answered the door, she was holding a box.

My dear friend had gone to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy pie weights for me! I had thought she was just letting me borrow hers, but I was mistaken.

I laid a piece of aluminum foil over my pie crust and set the ceramic weights on top. They filled most of the pie plate. Then I tossed my pie crust into the oven. After ten minutes or so, I removed the foil and dumped the pie weights into a bowl. Then I baked the crust a few more minutes until it was a beautiful golden brown. The pie weights were then washed, dried, and put away.

After the crust cooled, I sliced bananas into the bottom and began cooking the filling on the stove. Once it thickened and boiled, I poured it into the crust.

I'm delivering a piece of banana cream pie to Carol tomorrow. She said it's a pie her husband has requested she make. She's never made one before but said banana cream pie is one of her all-time favorites.

Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like Carol. More cream pies are now in my future -- and likely hers.

Author

I'm Tyann Sheldon Rouw, mother of three sons, wife to one husband, and lover of all chocolates. My twins have autism. I like the color green, advocating for autism, and trying to find the silver lining. Sometimes it's not easy. Usually it's funny.